Winged Chronicle
by Pinkshuchan
Summary: Every time he went to sleep, he would have dreams about winged people and flying among them. Not long after would he be haunted by nightmares. But surely, they are only just that; dreams, right? He begins to question if that is the case after a winged boy like that in his dreams appears before him. Warning: AU Yaoi story. Kaichi (Kai x Aichi). Rated M for mature content.
1. Prologue: I Dreamed I Could Fly

**Pinkshuchan: Hi everyone! I'm Pinkshuchan! If you've followed my fanstories before then I apologize for not writing for a long time and I will get back to my other stories eventually. If not, then yeah. Recently I got into the anime Cardfight! Vanguard. Some people recommended it to me and I thought "Hey, I liked Yugioh! I'll give this a shot!" And sure enough, I got hooked. And not long after I got into the anime, I found myself liking the characters and, like most fans, I found a pairing I like; Kai x Aichi. Those two were just so cute and I liked the chemistry between them so much that it was hard for me to not ship them. Eventually, it got to the point that I wanted to write a fanfic about them and that led to this story being made. This is an AU story that just popped into my head and I really hope that you all enjoy it. I shouldn't have to warn you that this is a Yaoi story so if you don't like it, please don't read it. It also has some mature themes so I suggest not reading if you don't like that as well. I don't own Cardfight! Vanguard. It belongs to Bushiroad. Without ado, here is my first Vanguard fanfic. Enjoy!**

Prologue

I Dreamed I Could Fly

Nothingness.

That was all there was. No ground, no sky, no light, no darkness. All that surrounded him was endless nothingness. He didn't know how he came to be here and why. He was just here; floating in one spot within the complete silence, waiting for something, anything to happen.

And then, from above, a tiny water drop sparkling like a small star in a night sky fell before him. He didn't know what was going on for as soon as it touched something, strong gusts of wind from many different directions surrounded him. Clenching his eyes shut, he used his arms as a shield to protect from being blown away, but would be impossible without solid ground to help keep his stand. And yet even the strongest gusts weren't able to make him move an inch. They blew for quite a while before the winds finally decided to calm down. He opened his eyes as he lowered his arms, awestruck with the change that had surrounded him.

What used to be endless nothingness became a field that went so far until it touched the bright blue sky. A gentle breeze blew around him, carrying with it a sweet scent that only the power of nature could provide. He closed his eyes yet again as he let everything sink in and let his body relax.

When he opened his eyes yet again, a surprise greeted him.

Six silhouettes surrounded him like statues that were placed in a circle for decoration. There was nothing to note about them as they didn't have distinguishing features from their faces or human bodies alone. But what did catch his attention was that they all had wings; each one a different colour. Red, aqua, green, gold, silver, and black. Who were they?

Before any theories could come to light in his mind, the six winged humanoids had begun to flap their wings and fly away. He could only watch sullenly as they flew farther and farther away above him, circling as they did so. He felt like he himself was a bird chained to one spot, like he was limited to where he could go and what he could do. He wanted to fly up to the sky just like those winged humanoids, to soar higher than the clouds.

But then, without warning, he felt himself being lifted into the air. He felt himself going higher and higher off the ground and had no idea how he was doing it. Yet it made him wonder; could he fly himself? Retrieving full control of his entire being again, he had begun to will himself to soar up even higher. And sure enough, he had begun to reach even higher, almost but not quite catching up to the winged humanoids.

This was incredible! He was so high up in the air and moving so fast yet he couldn't stop. He was even higher than some of the clouds. His heart felt light, his breathing was relaxed; he was broken free from his chains. He felt no fear, no worries, no despair. He just continued to soar through the sky, higher than ever, with the wind rushing through his hair, his clothes, his entire being. He was weightless. He was happy.

He was free.

He finally reached above the clouds, and the sight before him was absolutely breathtaking. There above the clouds were vast amounts of land similar to that on Earth. However, there was something euphoric about the land here. The grass shined the brightest green it could be and the flora was like anything he had never seen. Flowers of unusual designs and mixture of colours, trees with peculiar stances and leaves; it was all so new to him.

He noticed the winged humanoids from before motioning for him to follow. Unsure of what they wanted, he did as they asked and followed them farther through this heavenly paradise. As he flew closer to the ground, another sweet aroma wafted through his senses; stronger than when he was back on Earth. He followed the winged humanoids until they reached a nice, clear pond. It sparkled under the golden light of the sun like crystal. He felt his throat feel dry. The winged humanoids insisted that he have a drink. How could he refuse with how tempting it looked?

He cupped some of the water into his hands and brought it to his lips. He let out a relaxed sigh after he drank the cool, refreshing liquid. This water was unlike anything he ever tasted. It easily ran through his throat with ease and, though faint, he could've sworn there was a slight taste of fruit. This was truly nectar of the gods.

Satisfied, the winged humanoids had begun to fly away once again. He got up and continued to follow them. He didn't know where they were going, but he wanted to see more of this world. What more did it have to offer? He was surprised to see that they began to fly faster. Unsure of why they were doing so yet did not want to lose sight of them, he picked up speed of his own. But the winged humanoids only flew faster. What was going on?

He felt a strange feeling. Something was not right. When he came here, this place felt so peaceful; so carefree. But now, the feeling of uneasiness roamed over this land. The sky changed from its bright blue to a haunting black with dark clouds looming above. Below him, the once fertile land and exotic plants were consumed by crimson flames. The cool, crystal like pond was now polluted with dark red blood.

But that was not the worst of it. Something far more sinister was coming and it was going to hurt the most.

Before he could fly any farther, a surreal dark mist surrounded him. It was thick and suffocating. He could feel his entire body being crushed by the density. Bloodcurdling screams were the only thing he could let out as the air around him grew tighter and tighter. His vision started to blur and his body was numbing from the pain. He couldn't move; he couldn't break free from the sufferable darkness, and he could feel his conscious mind slipping away the longer he was trapped.

But then, the dark mist loosened itself around him, and he heard a voice calling out to him. He opened his eyes. Standing before him was another silhouette; a child. Though his vision was still blurred from the pain, he could see the child's expression filled with fear and devastation. The child reached out a tiny hand to him. Did this child come to help him? With the dark mist no longer restraining him, he could reach out and take that child's hand. He could be saved by this nightmare.

And yet he didn't move. Why was that? Did he fear that the child would do something far worse than that of the dark mist? Was his pride taking over, determined to escape himself? No, there was something still restraining him. There was no strength within him to move forward and take the child's help. And even if his strength wasn't drained, something kept him from moving closer, like something was trying to pull him away from the child.

And then, the unthinkable happened. The dark mist left him and went straight to the child. He pleaded for the child to get away, his voice cracked from the wave of screams he let out before. But the child did not move. The child was fixated on reaching to him.

"Run! Hurry!" he cried, begging the child to get away to safety. But it was too late. The child was already in the dark mist's grasp. He could only watch in dismay as the child was tortured with the dark walls of the mist; the sound of loud, painful, high pitched cries flooding through his ears. He couldn't bear to continue watching the traumatic scene playing before him but he couldn't find it in himself to look away. His sight blurred yet again, not from his physical pain but from the pain of the child's suffering. He couldn't stop the stinging drops of salt water from running down his burning cheeks.

The cries stopped the moment the child disappeared, drowning in the dark mist. At that moment, he felt himself being pulled farther and farther away from the mist. Surely he was now saved from this hell. But in actuality, he was falling, leaving the land above the clouds and back to the earth he came from.

He didn't know how long he had been falling for nor did he know how much longer until he reached the bottom. He couldn't stop himself from descending like this even if he tried. All he could do was wait until he reached the end of everything. He had begun to wonder what would happen after he reached the bottom. Would he go 'SPLAT' with his entire body cracked open like an egg, or would he be like a fragile, wooden puppet with his limbs breaking from his body the moment he hits the ground and his entire body scattered across the ground? He would know soon. He closed his eyes as he readied for his entire being to become one among the dead; cold, lifeless, trapped in eternal nothingness.

And then he would wake up.

**Pinkshuchan: And that was the prologue. What do you guys think? Yes, I decided to start it all with a dream sequence. As to whose dream it is, you'll just have to wait and see. Please read and review!**


	2. Ordinary Day

**Pinkshuchan: Hey everyone! This chapter is where the story really begins! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Ordinary Day

The first thing that greeted him when he woke up was the blinding sunlight above a canopy of leaves, sheltering him from the summer heat. He could hear the sound of birds chirping from a distance and cicadas hiding in the nearby tree. A gentle breeze brushed against him as he laid there on the green wooden bench. He sat up and had begun to rub his temple, bringing himself to once again awaken his awareness of the reality he was in.

He was at the park he always went to, sitting on his favourite bench. It was his favourite place to nap during the warm seasons, providing the best atmosphere and temperature. Not like he could take advantage of that now though. Normally, the moment he would take a nap, not even the loudest noise could wake him up. Even the sound of children running and playing around him would not break through his slumber. But now…

"Damn, those dreams again."

He couldn't remember when the dreams started nor could he remember the trigger, but the same dream would appear every time he went to sleep; dreams about winged people and flying and how free he felt. And then the nightmares that still left him trembling once he woke back up. What did all this mean? Why was this happening?

He gave a deep sigh as he ran his fingers through strands of his own light brown hair. He lied back down on the bench; theorizing what the dreams could mean. Were they visions of both his deepest desires and his biggest fears? Were they abstract imagery of events from his past that he wished to forget? Or were they something else entirely?

"It figures I'd find you here."

He broke out of his thoughts to bring his attention to a familiar idiotic grin. "What do you want?" he questioned in his usual monotonous tone.

The 'grin' let out a sigh. "Does it ever occur to you that maybe I just wanna check to see how my best bud is doing?"

Both were silent.

Another sigh. "Geez! I'm hurt that you think so low of me, Kai."

Toshiki Kai could tell from the blond male's tone that he wasn't serious despite the use of words. Not wanting to stay around any longer, the brunet stood up and started to walk away. The blond haired male, Taishi Miwa, followed behind him.

"Okay, it's not a request from me," he continued, "But my mom is wondering if you'd like to have dinner with us. She's been concerned about how you're doing living alone and she's curious on your thoughts of that book she lent you."

'That's right!' Kai remembered. The last time he was there, Miwa's mother lent him a book for him to check out, hoping it would be of his interest. He would be lying if he said that it didn't pique his curiosity. He was not usually one with books, yet he felt drawn to this one for some reason. Maybe it was the book's concept or maybe just the look of the cover, but something tempted him to read it. It had been a while since he borrowed it. No doubt the woman in question that lent him the book wanted to hear his thoughts of it by now.

"Whatever," he replied with a shrug, "Didn't really want to cook tonight anyways."

Miwa grinned. "Of course you wouldn't say no to free food." The brunet didn't bother to respond. They continued to walk in silence out of the park and through the streets.

It appeared to be a normal day. It was already summer vacation so most of the kids were out playing and hanging out. Kai and Miwa were also out of school for now but had nothing planned through most of it. Miwa had been telling Kai non-stop about a resort he and his mom were planning to go to in a couple of weeks and wanted to invite the usually antisocial teen to tag along. The brunet, however, was not interested. He was not one for fancy places with lots of people and would prefer to spend his time with something else rather than spend a day at a burning hot beach.

They continued to walk through the crowded streets. It was not far to Miwa's house. They just had to pass a few more stores and cross one more intersection before they would reach the neighbourhood. Sadly, this walk wouldn't turn out to be as peaceful as they, or at least Kai, wanted it to.

"So we meet again, Toshiki Kai!"

The person in question silently cursed his luck. He recognized that voice all too well, and it was not one he wanted to deal with today either. He and Miwa turned their attention to the direction of the voice to be greeted by two familiar faces; a couple of underclassmen from their school. The one that called out to him glared at him with an expression of fury and determination. The other one, who was obviously his friend, was more nervous. It was easy to tell what they wanted, and honestly, Kai couldn't care less.

"This is it! You cannot escape!" the hot headed underclassman called out, "Today, I will finally defeat you at something!"

"Not interested," Kai simply replied; his voice stoic and unwavering. He continued to walk away. He didn't want to deal with this at the moment. The younger boy, however, wasn't going to take that as an answer.

"You're just scared that I'm gonna beat you at something one day, isn't it?!" he remarked with pride, "Figures. After all, this is no one as amazing as Katsumi Morikawa! Bow before your master!" The brunet just ignored him. "Hey! Get back here! We have unfinished business!"

But Kai continued walking. From a distance he could hear Morikawa shout something like "Izaki! Let me go! I need to take care of that bastard!" He hated dealing with idiots. They always did something to piss him off, especially when they did something unwanted. Hearing the familiar call of "Kai!" the brunet stopped to let Miwa catch up to him. They then continued on their way to the latter's house.

The first thing to greet the two boys once they got there was the warm, gentle, motherly smile of a beautiful middle aged woman. Tsukiko Miwa had been waiting for them; already preparing dinner for the three of them, as if she knew that Kai would agree to join them without being informed. It was strange and a little creepy out how she was sometimes able to predict what it was Kai would decide to do, but regardless, he considered her a kind and caring woman and couldn't help but admire her energy and enthusiasm.

Not much happened before dinner was ready. Miwa and Kai waited up in Miwa's room with the brunet lying on the bed, watching his blond friend play a new video game he recently got. There would be occasional conversation but it would usually come from the blond himself. Kai just simply listened, responding only with grunts when necessary. This didn't bother Miwa though. He knew that his friend was not a very talkative person, so he just left it be.

Before long, dinner was ready. The three sat down to eat and things were quite peaceful. Kai had always gone to eat over at Miwa's from time to time, but no matter how many times he would be invited, this feeling of a warm, loving family atmosphere felt foreign to him. He didn't mind it though. He would never admit it, but a part of him always wanted to be a part of something like this.

"How's the food, Toshiki?" Tsukiko broke Kai out of his thoughts. The brunet had been eating quietly as his mind travelled off.

"Needs more onions," he simply replied.

"You eat too many onions and you may just turn into one yourself," the blonde woman scolded the teen, "They may be good for you but please try to eat the rest of your vegetables. You're still a growing boy."

Kai scowled as he continued eating. The rest of dinner consisted on conversation between Tsukiko and Miwa; Kai joining in only when directly addressed to. It was the usual topics they conversed in; how their days were, plans for the rest of the summer, Tsukiko even mentioned she wanted to do something for Kai's birthday since it was coming in almost a month.

When they had finished eating, Miwa offered to handle the dishes, leaving Kai to handle with his friend's energetic mother. The blonde woman gave him her biggest grin as she got herself more comfortable.

"So Toshiki," she began, "How is the book I lent you? Do you like it? Be honest!"

Kai gave a sigh as he ran his fingers through his spiked hair. "It's not bad," he answered bluntly. Truth be told, he actually enjoyed the book. The moment he sat down to read it after getting his hands on it, he couldn't put it down. The story entranced him, the words pulled him in like magic, and the entire experience felt real. "I still have it back at home though so-!"

Tsukiko only chuckled. "No trouble at all. In fact, I'd rather you keep it."

The brunet stared at her with awe. "No, I couldn't-!"

"I insist!" she responded, "Consider it an early birthday present from me."

Miwa returned to the table after he had finished up. He had heard the entire conversation as he was cleaning. "You know, I never heard either of you mention what that book is. Is it really that good?"

Tsukiko giggled. "You're that curious, Taishi? Why, it is the story of the Cloudlands."

"Story of the Cloudlands?"

The blonde haired woman gestured for her son to sit. "You remember it, don't you Taishi? I would always tell you that story every night since you were a child."

"I remember it," the teen replied, "And you gave it to Kai?"

Another chuckle escaped from the older woman's ruby lips. "For old time's sake, why don't I tell you both the story again? Don't worry; I have the entire thing memorized." And once she was sure that they were all comfortable, she began to tell the tale.

"Long, long ago, there was a race simply known as the winged people. They were a majestic and proud race, able to use magic to help all the living creatures on Earth. They roamed the skies with their beautiful wings, being able to move freely to wherever they pleased. They were admired by many creatures and in turn, the winged people loved them. Whether human or animal, the winged people made it their duty to protect everyone. And with the winged people among them, Earth was always safe.

"However, this happiness was not meant to last forever. An eerie darkness appeared before the world, shrouding the skies with fear and terror. No one knew how it came to be and why it had appeared. But it was apparent that the darkness had one goal; to create chaos and anarchy, to take away the love and peace that everyone shared and turn it into hatred and paranoia, to lead the entire world towards destruction and consume it until it becomes complete nothingness. It was a being simply known… as the Void.

"As Earth's guardians, the winged people refused to let this monster have its way. They did everything they could to stop it in its tracks. Unfortunately, even with all their combined strength, the Void could not be destroyed. It was a divine being that would continue its path until its objective was complete. If it couldn't be destroyed, they only had one other option in hand, and though dangerous, they had to take this chance.

"To protect Earth from the Void, the six leaders of the winged people stepped forward; the Red Wings of Valour, the Aqua Wings of Honour, the Green Wings of Justice, the Gold Wings of Benevolence, the Silver Wings of Wisdom, and the Black Wings of Mercy. They poured all of their power into creating a world for the Void to roam so as not to harm the creatures of Earth again. There was a catch, however; the rest of the winged people would have to stay in that world to keep the Void from escaping.

"And so, the winged people said goodbye to the beings on Earth and continued to live the rest of their lives in the new world they created, a world they named 'the Cloudlands'. Cherishing their leaders' memory, they split up into different clans based on the colour of their wings and to this day protect themselves for whatever the Void would throw their way. Although they have a new home which many could consider an equivalent to Heaven itself, they are forced to live eternity in fear of that terrifying darkness."

The two boys had been silent during the entire story, letting everything sink in. No words could describe what they were feeling. Tsukiko let out a sigh as she stood up and walked over to the closest window, staring at the night sky that surrounded everything. "It is a bittersweet tale," she continued, "The winged people sacrificed everything to keep their beloved home safe but at what cost? As time went by, their sacrifice was forgotten by the creatures of the Earth and to this day, they still fight to keep everyone safe. But how long can this go on? Will they one day find the power that can destroy the Void once and for all? Or will they give in to despair and result with the Void turning everything into eternal nothingness?"

An unsettling silence flooded the room. No one moved an inch, as if time had stood still. It wasn't long though until Tsukiko looked back at the boys, flashing her signature grin. "Anyways, it's getting pretty late. You should stay the night, Toshiki!"

With the atmosphere now back to the way it was, Kai stood up. "No thanks," he muttered, walking away from the table and into the hall. Miwa and Tsukiko followed behind him as they watched him put on his shoes.

"You sure you don't want me to walk you home, buddy?" Miwa asked, his voice showing a little concern.

"I'm not a girl," was Kai's reply. Nothing more was said as he walked out the door. The moment the brunet left, Tsukiko's smile faded into a deep frown. Her blue eyes showed concern as she stared at the spot the teen was standing before. She sighed.

"Sometimes I worry about him," she honestly expressed aloud; "Toshiki was always such a sweet and caring boy in the past." She looked over at her son beside her. "You two were always so close too, as if you were real brothers. But… since that day…"

Miwa placed his hands on his mother's shoulders, comforting her. "You don't need to worry, Mom," he assured her with a smile, "He's pretty strong. I'm sure he can handle himself."

The blonde haired woman gave a curt nod before she left for the living room. Miwa sighed. He said those words to convince his mother that things were going to be alright, but he felt like he was saying that to also convince _himself_. Yeah, Kai was strong, but the blond knew that his friend was also very fragile, like the tiniest thing could cause him to crack. _That day_ still haunted his mind to this very day; the day when his once brash and overconfident best friend became a hollow shell of himself, a boy so emotionally unstable that he was unable to control his actions. Miwa could still remember hiding in fear as his mother tried to calm down an aggressive Kai. The brunet, who would always give his cheekiest grin no matter what happened, was wailing loudly; his face soaked with tears. He was punching and screaming, showing so much pain and distress-!

Miwa shook his head. He didn't want to remember any more of that painful memory. After many struggling attempts and using a last resort, they were able to free Kai from his despair, but at a cost. There was nothing left of the old Kai, and the one before them now was an emotionless doll that shared his face, that moved and talked just like that of a normal person. He had no goals, no dreams to strive for. He was simply only living until the day he dies. What Miwa wouldn't give if it meant he could get his old friend back.

XxXxX

Kai walked the dark streets alone, feeling the chilling wind of the night brush against him. The streetlamps lined up against the path were the only source of light to guide him home. Every now and then, there would be a stray car driving past him, but he felt no need to heed them. He only wanted to get home.

He eventually made it back to the tall building that was his apartment. He opened the door and stepped inside. It was a simple one room apartment with all the necessities he would need to live on his own, including a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom being its separate thing. He didn't need to worry about rent or groceries since Tsukiko had offered to pay for him. While Kai himself didn't mind having to pay for all his stuff, he knew the blonde woman wanted him to focus on school and living life as a normal teenager.

He didn't bother to turn on the light, for he just didn't care. It was no trouble though, for the moon that illuminated through the back window provided enough light to help him get around. He walked down the front hall after taking his shoes off and went straight to the bed. He let out a sigh as he dropped onto the mattress, relaxing his entire body from any stress. This was his own private sanctuary where no one could bother him; blanketed by the darkness as he relaxed his entire body. Nothing within these walls could cause him grief. And yet…

A familiar object on the bedside table caught his eye. It was that book; the one that Tsukiko gave him. He picked it up, feeling the texture of tree bark that served as the book's cover. It looked more like a spell book from fairy tales rather than a novel. He opened the book and began to skim through the pages. The story was told almost the same way Tsukiko did, but went into more detail during certain aspects.

One thing was for certain; Kai now remembered what the trigger for his reoccurring dreams was.

But how could one book result in him having these dreams that were depriving him of needed sleep? Winged people living in a magical world said to be an equivalent to Heaven; it's only fantasy. It was just a fictional story to entertain the mind with make believe. There was no way the winged people could exist.

He put the book down back onto the table. A yawn escaped his lips as he felt himself beginning to drowse off. Too tired to change into his pajamas, he adjusted himself so he was lying down on the decently comfortable mattress and pulled the duvet out from under him so he could go under it, protecting him from the cold night air.

'Another ordinary day has passed,' he said to himself in his mind. And slowly, he started to fall asleep. But one question sticked to his mind; would he have the same dream tonight? Until his consciousness faded for the night, he repeated the same sentence over and over.

'Winged people don't exist.'

**Pinkshuchan: And that was officially the first chapter. Read and Review!**


	3. Cloudlands

**Pinkshuchan: Hey everyone. I'm really happy that everyone is enjoying the story so far. I bet you're excited for the introduction of the winged people. Well, here it is! Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Cloudlands

It was another beautiful day as the bright, golden sun appeared once again above Sunrise Valley; one of the different lands within the Cloudlands. The grass that covered the entire valley glittered from the sweet morning dew sprinkled on top of it. A melodious tune sung by rainbow birds could be heard as they flew above the clouds; the rays from their glowing bodies forming a rainbow in the sky. The many different creatures that lived in this valley had begun to awaken once again, and roamed to many areas, living their daily lives.

Somewhere within Sunrise Valley, there was a kingdom with walls made of white and blue marble and a friendly aura surrounding it. The people there roamed the streets filled with joy and laughter. But what made them stand out the most were their radiant golden wings that glowed like the warm sun itself.

This was the kingdom of the Gold Winged Clan.

At the back of the kingdom was a beautiful white and blue palace that sparkled under the sun's rays. Within the palace walls was just as peaceful if not more so than on the streets. The servants hummed cheery tunes as they did their daily chores. The knights in their azure armour stood at their posts, beaming with confidence. All of the rooms were neat and clean and shined with such radiance. It was another heavenly day for the kingdom.

But peace usually follows up with chaos.

As everyone in the palace was off minding their own business, three young knights marched through the halls in a straight line. Considering their age, you would not believe these three to be knights, but don't let their appearances fool you. Their skills in combat were truly something that shouldn't be reckoned with.

They continued marching down the hall until the one in front noticed the door that marked their destination. He halted rapidly, causing the two behind him to bump into him and all three went tumbling down. The first knight, who was most likely the leader of the three, let out his frustration at the other two as he yelled at them to get off him, to which they complied. They knew that their leader was not someone to deal with if angered.

With all three back up on their feet, the leader of the three, who had already calmed himself a bit, cleared his throat and began to speak. "Boys, we have taken on a very difficult task. Normally, we wouldn't even consider taking this task, as it is not in our calamity."

"I think you mean 'calibre'," one of the other two spoke up.

"Yep, definitely calibre," replied the other one.

The leader's face turned red with embarrassment. "W-Whatever!" He turned towards the door. "We usually wouldn't accept something like this, but what lurks behind these doors is what's causing the princess distress. And for the princess, I will do anything to help her be at ease once again! Even if I lose my sorority in the process!"

"You mean 'sanity'!" the first boy corrected him again.

"Yeah! I don't even think we can have a sorority!" said the other boy.

He decided to ignore them this time. "You two brought the weapons needed for this quest?"

The two nodded. "We sure did! It wasn't easy to get them though. They were well guarded."

"Great job, guys!" The leader stood with confidence. "Let's go!"

With all said and done, the three made their way through the door in front of them. They found themselves in a grand bedroom. The walls and ceiling were white and the floor was blue, just like the rest of the palace, but made up for it with some gold lined up against the walls. The morning light shined through the giant open windows bordered by blue curtains with golden lines making a design near the edges. In the back of the room was a queen sized bed with a blue duvet with white pillows and a gold canopy hanging above it. There was a lump hiding under the duvet; most likely someone still sleeping.

Nodding at each other, the three knights made their way to the bed. Once they made their way to the side of the bed where the lump was occupied, they pulled out their weapons for this task; pots with big, wooden spoons. They took their positions.

"Ready, boys?" the leader whispered, "Now!"

"WAKE UP!" all three yelled in unison, banging their cooking utensils together. They tried to make as much noise as they could, trying to wake up the bundle in the bed. But to their surprise, it wouldn't even move an inch.

"Come on!" the leader of the three cried in frustration, "It's not everyday you get a wake up call by the Great Kamui!"

Before he could even process what happened, the pot and wooden spoon were taken from the leader, Kamui's, hands. The spiky haired knight stopped what he was doing and turned around to see the one responsible for stopping him.

"The 'Great Kamui' should come up with a different wake up call that doesn't cause a ruckus within the entire palace!" the room's new guest responded.

The other two knights stopped what they were doing as well as their attention moved to the conversation between Kamui and the newcomer. They could tell they were in so much trouble, as the person in front of them was no other but the Gold Winged Clan's royal advisor, Shingo. All three knew from experience that he was someone that does not take things lightly and that he would scold anyone who disrupts the peace and order within the palace as well as the serenity within the royal family.

"Why are you three here anyways?" the royal advisor continued, adjusting his glasses, "Don't you realize that this is His Highness, the Prince's royal chambers? And isn't it the maids' job to do wake up calls?"

Kamui scratched his head. "You're right, sir!" he replied, "It's just, um… well, you see... uh…" He was too nervous to try to explain. It didn't help with Shingo glaring at him, building more pressure on him. "Reiji, Eiji! Help me out here, guys!" The other two knights, Reiji and Eiji, mentally sighed as they began to explain.

"You see, sir," Reiji began, "It started when Kamui was making his rounds at his station."

"Yeah! Working very hard to protect the kingdom he cherishes!" Eiji added.

"But then, he saw the princess in trouble!"

"Very big trouble!"

"Wait a minute!" Shingo interrupted, "Something has happened to the princess?"

All three boys shook their head. "She's fine!" said Kamui, "They meant that she wasn't her usual cherry self."

"Cheery!" Reiji and Eiji both corrected him.

The advisor nodded, getting a good understanding of the story so far. "Continue."

The two boys nodded. "So then Kamui goes up to her and asks what's wrong."

"And then the princess replies; 'My brother has not gotten out of bed. The maids have already tried to wake him up, but he hasn't come out and it's already been two hours'."

"Kamui could see that the princess was distressed by this and said; 'Don't worry! I'll handle this!'"

"Yep! And then all three of us gathered here to wake him up and then you showed up and it led to this very moment!"

With their explanation fully explained, all three boys let out a relieved sigh. Shingo looked over at the lump under the duvet with curiosity. It was strange indeed that their prince had not woken up yet after the maids made their rounds. He walked over to the bed.

"Your Highness?" he spoke up, "Are you not feeling well?" The lump did not move or make a sound. Now they all felt concerned. What could be going on with their prince? Shingo tried again, this time pulling the duvet open, and all eyes widened at the sight in front of them.

Under the duvet were a few extra pillows. There was no prince.

"Hey, I'm better than I thought," Kamui let out a laugh, "My wake up calls are so awesome, the prince woke up before I showed up!" But he was only trying to appear confident. Deep down, he was terrified of the sight in front of him. All of them were. Because one fact became apparent to them.

Their prince was missing.

Their prince was missing!

THEIR PRINCE WAS MISSING!

"N-Now, now! C-Calm down!" Shingo tried to assure the young knights, though was having a hard time calming himself down, "Let's not jump to any conclusions! I-I'm sure His Highness is just off doing his own thing within the palace and no one has managed to bump into him yet. So, to make sure that the prince is safe and sound within the palace walls, we shall look around for him."

"Y-Yeah!" Kamui replied, also trying to remain calm, "W-We can't assume he's missing yet! We'll see if we can find him!"

With all said, they split up to search everywhere within the palace. They considered all the places the prince would usually spend time at and started searching there. If not there, they searched any other room in the palace. They were determined to not leave a single place unchecked until they found him.

Shingo found himself in the courtyard. It was a lovely looking place to relax outside with lots of trees and flowerbeds of different colours, white benches with pretty designs, and a stone fountain with a statue of a cupid in the middle. And while he didn't find the prince, he found something else that got him rather irritated.

On one of the flower beds was a sleeping knight. He was not just any knight though, for the royal advisor knew the trouble this knight liked to cause. Just looking at this knight disgusted Shingo; his sluggish body, his fiery auburn hair, his carefree expressions. Adjusting his glasses, the advisor stormed over to the sleeping knight and began to shake him awake.

Awakened by the disturbance, the lazy knight sat up, letting out a big yawn. He let out an agitated murmur before noticing Shingo there. He groaned. "What the hell, Shingo? I was really enjoying my nap."

Shingo crossed his arms. "That's 'Mr. Royal Advisor' to you! And why are you napping on the flowerbeds when there are benches around? Wait a minute, no! Why are you even napping in the first place? Aren't you supposed to be on lookout?"

The knight slowly stood up, still feeling a little groggy. "Hey, can you blame me for wanting to take a nap when there's nothing interesting going on? And for your information, I don't like to sleep on the benches because it gets my wings all stiff!"

The royal advisor sighed. "And you are supposed to serve as a knight for the kingdom of the Gold Winged Clan. Honestly, if you are going to fall asleep during guard duty, then you can't be considered reliable for any task. Not to mention the serious damage to the flowerbeds!" To prove his point, he gestured to the now slightly flattened flowerbed the knight had been sleeping on. "Seriously, Naoki! What would happen if you were asleep on guard duty and an enemy came and kidnapped someone from the royal family-OH NO!"

The auburn haired knight, Naoki, gave a confused look as he saw the advisor begin to panic. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Shingo glared at him. "Ooh, I knew it! You truly are unreliable as a knight, you blockhead!"

That got Naoki pissed. "Instead of making judgements on my reliability, how about you tell me what the hell is going on before I deck you in the head, pipsqueak!"

"How dare you talk to me like that! Have you forgotten who I am?!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I give a shit! You're not the boss of me!"

"I may not have as much power as the royal family but I happen to be a very important asset in keeping peace around here, so yes, technically, I _am_ the boss of you!"

"Hey, guess what? Even if you _are_ a bigger power than me, that doesn't mean I'm gonna listen to any of the bullshit you sprout at me!"

Naoki and Shingo were butting heads, continuously throwing insults at each other. It was considered the norm for these two to constantly bicker at each other, for they had been at each other's throats ever since the day they met. This went on for a while before a flash of three gold wings soared towards them. Kamui, Reiji, and Eiji had finished their search and made their way to reach Shingo. The advisor ended his argument with the auburn haired knight and focused on the three younger knights.

"Status report!"

Kamui shook his head. "We can't find him anywhere."

"We've searched everywhere!" said Reiji.

"Yeah, even in the places he would most unlikely be," Eiji added.

This did not settle well with Shingo. He began to tremble in fear of what would happen if this got out, struggling to keep his legs from giving out and fall to the ground. Naoki looked at them confused. "Who are you searching for?" he asked, "Maybe I can be of some help."

It didn't look like the advisor would be able to explain the situation himself, for he was too shaken up by the whole ideal, so Kamui decided to explain. He told the older knight everything; how they heard that the prince would not wake up from his slumber, the discovery they made when they came to check up on him, and their search for him within the palace. Naoki appeared calm, but deep down he was a little terrified himself. He knew what would happen to them if something happened to the prince.

"Maybe he went out flying," he suggested, "After all, the prince does love to soar through the skies and there's only so much you can do around here."

Shingo broke out of his shaken state and glared at Naoki. "If he wanted to do that, then he would've asked for an escort to come along with him. And I have no knowledge of any escorts assigned."

"You know the prince; he doesn't like to trouble people."

"So you're saying he could be gliding about out there by himself, making himself an easy target for danger?!"

"Well, what do you suppose happened to him?! I don't know of anyone who would want to kidnap him!"

"Well, no matter what has happened to him, I hold you responsible!"

"What?! How am I responsible?!

"Who was the one sleeping on guard duty while all of this was happening? You had left an opening for getting in and out of the palace!"

"Well, sorry! How was I supposed to know something like this was gonna happen?!"

"Of course you should've known this would happen! It's your job! You think knights are all about getting into fights and looking cool?!"

"KNOCK IT OFF!"

Naoki and Shingo stopped their argument to the sound of Kamui's loud voice. They sighed. This was not the time. They needed to go out and find the prince to make sure he was alright. Kamui began to pace.

"There's no way we can let the queen or the princess find out about this," he began, "If we gather too many people to help us find him, they'll definitely find out. We should get the captain to help us out at least-!"

Naoki grabbed the collar of the younger knight's armour to stop him from pacing. "Whoa, bad idea! Having the captain find out is just as bad as having the queen or princess find out. Do you know how much shit we'll be in for this?"

"And whose fault is that?" Shingo muttered.

The auburn haired knight gave the advisor a glare before continuing. "This has to be kept secret between the five of us. We absolutely can't have anyone find out that the prince is missing!"

"You can't have anyone find out _who_ is missing?!"

All five flinched; eyes widened, breath hitched. That voice did not come from any one of them, but they did recognize whose voice it was. And they really wish they didn't. Their heads cautiously turned to the direction where they heard the voice. It was just as they feared.

Five loud ear piercing screams rang within the entire kingdom that very moment.

XxXxX

Far away from the kingdom of the Gold Winged Clan, on the other side of Sunrise Valley, there were patches of flowers of different varieties scattered around a pond that glowed under the summer sun and a tree with a thick trunk that served as a home for many different small creatures. The Boroas, which were tiny, grey, bear like creatures with white tuffs of fur around their necks and bellies and long, fluffy, white tails, were playing tag around the tree, and the Sheaprits, which were white, woolly, rabbit like creatures with tanned sheep like faces, were hopping along their merry way across the fields.

Sitting on the opposite end of the pond was a stray baby rainbow bird. Its eyes were red from shedding so much tears and its feathers glowed blue in expression to its sadness. The poor little thing was lost and alone; unsure of what to do. It didn't even know if it would even be found.

And yet it was indeed found, but not by what it was hoping would find it.

The baby bird caught sight of something bigger than it walking towards it. It didn't clearly see what it was but it didn't matter. It was afraid to see what horrid monster would try to come near. Its feathers changed from blue to violet to express that fear and it closed its eyes; dreading for the moment its life would end.

But nothing of the sort happened. Why was that?

"Please, don't be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you."

The rainbow bird slowly opened its eyes. Standing before it was what appeared to be a winged person; one from the Gold Winged Clan obviously just by looking at the wings. The winged person walked cautiously toward the bird so as not to scare it even more than it already was and gracefully sat down in front of it. He opened his hands like a little platform for the small creature; concern clearly shown through his angelic visage. The baby bird; its feathers glowing blue once again to show its fear was gone, took the invitation and perched onto the winged boy's hands. The latter raised his hands so the bird was on eye level with him.

"Please, tell me what has gotten you so sad?" asked the boy, "I'd like to help if I can."

Knowing of absolute certainty that it could trust the winged boy, the baby rainbow bird explained everything. To the ears of anyone, the sounds it made were just ordinary chirps that any bird makes. But to this winged boy, the chirps were translated into words. The bird told him how today marked the day that it would start flying for the first time. As it tried to follow its family up into the air, as soon as it jumped out of the tree, it fell out. And so, unsure of its family even knows it's missing, the baby bird grew depressed on how it couldn't fly like the other birds.

The winged boy gave a small, gentle smile after the baby rainbow bird finished its story. The bird still in his hands, he stood up. "I'm sure you can fly if you really try," said the boy. But the bird just shook its head. "Do you know what I think it is?" The small feathered creature tilted its head to the side in confusion; its feathers changing into an indigo colour. "I think it's not a matter of you unable to fly. I think you just don't have enough confidence in yourself."

Without warning, the boy began to spread his beautiful golden wings and flew up. The bird let out a loud, frightened chirp as its feathers changed to violet yet again. The winged boy assured the small creature that he wouldn't let it fall. Upon reaching a certain height, he stopped.

"Flying is a wonderful feeling!" the boy remarked, "As you're flying, it feels like your troubles flow through you like the breeze. It's better than anything you can ever experience in your entire life. Have confidence in yourself and you can truly experience this feeling yourself."

The winged boy pulled his arms away from him slightly as he gave enough room for the bird to experience it itself. As for the small creature, its fear, while still evident, was more in awe than anything. Would it really learn the feeling of flying the way it was?

The boy chuckled. "Picture yourself like any other bird up in the sky," he continued, "You've spread your wings and you're flapping them in rhythm with your heartbeat. You go higher and higher until finally you are higher than any cloud in the sky."

As it was listening to those words, the baby bird closed its eyes and began to do exactly what the words said. The winged boy watched in amazement as he saw the bird begin to fly on its own. It opened its eyes again. It was flying! The bird chirped in joy and its feathers turned gold as it flew around the angel that helped it.

And as if on cue, a flock of rainbow birds were seen flying close by. The baby rainbow bird recognized the flock to be its family. It looked over at the winged person and gave their thanks and farewell before flying over to where its family was. The winged boy smiled as he waved goodbye.

"Have confidence in yourself and you can truly be able to experience this feeling of flying," he mused to himself in a whisper the words he told the baby rainbow bird, clutching his shirt, or at least what was under his shirt. He closed his eyes and allowed his body to push its weight towards the ground. He was diving at such a rapid pace and was about to hit the grassy plains before he flapped his golden wings once again and continued to fly.

It was difficult for him to find a moment when he could feel this free while flying. He would usually be surrounded by knights and servants that catered to his every whim and would do anything to keep him safe. While he appreciated their concern, there were just moments like this when he wanted to fly off without any worries; to feel the wind through his hair and let his heart guide him as he soared through the sky.

But it's difficult to have the time to feel that peace of mind when you are Prince Aichi of the Gold Winged Clan.

Today was another one of those days when Aichi managed to sneak off and roam Sunrise Valley; playing tag with the Boroas, following the rainbow the rainbow birds would create in the almost cloudless blue sky, glide across the sparkling rivers as he runs his hand through the gleaming water only for the droplets of water to glitter once he takes his hand out, climb the rising bubbles at Bubble Falls as they float up into the sky. His heart felt lighter than ever before doing those fun activities, like a dream he never wished to wake up from.

He continued to soar through Sunrise Valley; his heart guiding the way to whatever direction pleased it. There was no set destination or goal. He just wanted to fly. However, even he had no gone near the borders of the valley. He never even considered it.

Until now.

As he flew farther and farther, he found himself somewhere he had never flown to before. Standing before him was some kind of dark forest that made a row that reached very far beside the valley. The trees were so tall; the tops could not be seen as they were covered by some clouds. The forest felt like it was some kind of natural endless wall, preventing any unnecessary access. The only way through the forest was the one straightforward path before him. It was a mystery as to what lied beyond the wall of trees, and something within Aichi's heart told him to follow the path. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he went into the forest.

The light behind him from outside grew smaller and smaller as he glided farther and farther through the path. It was a good thing this path only went one direction or he would be nervous about getting lost within such a big place. However, he was anxious for how much longer the forest would go on until he reached the end.

He eventually made it to the end of the path and out of the forest only to find himself in a place covered in a thick, grey fog. Normally, no one would dare to continue forward through a fog like this where you can't see where you are going. But Aichi was not going to turn back now that he had come this far.

As he was a winged person, not only did he have wings to grant him the ability to fly, but he also had magical power to use as he sees fit. Each clan was specialized with certain types of magic, and fortunately for Aichi, his clan specializes in light magic. With the best of his ability, he created a ball of light and used it to help guide his way. The ball of light flew forward, revealing a set of stairs a few steps away going up a steep hill. Deciding not to risk any attacks that could be made on him with this fog, Aichi lowered himself to the ground and began climbing the stairs.

He didn't know how long he was climbing for; around five, ten, maybe even twenty minutes. But the stairs continued onward. As to how much longer it would last, the winged boy was not sure. And it was harder to tell with the fog surrounding him.

As soon as he finally reached the top of the stairs, the fog had finally cleared up. But what lied beyond this point was something Aichi never saw coming.

A hill with a giant stone building on top was surrounded by fields of dead grass with a few skeleton trees scattered around. The sky that was so blue and bright back at Sunrise Valley was covered with dark grey clouds, providing very little light on this foreign wasteland. A cold breeze blew about, sending chills through the winged boy's entire body. There were no signs of any other life roaming about, whether on the ground or up in the sky.

'But maybe there's still life up on that hill,' Aichi thought to himself. With no fog in his way and knowing this was the quickest way to get there; he had begun to fly over towards the hill.

He reached the top of the hill to find himself floating in front of the entranceway of the stone walls surrounding the giant stone building. Getting a closer look at it, it didn't look just like any ordinary stone building. This was a castle, or at least ruins of one. There were some parts of it that looked well destroyed and judging by some of the moss and dust on the walls; it was certain this place had been uninhabited for a long time. It would be a lie to say that Aichi wasn't frightened by this place, but his curiosity was much stronger. And so, landing back down onto the ground, he walked towards the big, old, rusty doors and went inside.

He found himself at the front courtyard, or at least what was left of it. There was no sign of any plant life; no trees, no flowers; the ground didn't even have a single trace of grass. The only thing there was a fountain standing in the middle of the courtyard with a broken statue of what Aichi assumed was once a dragon and no water coming out. It was not devoid of water however, but Aichi felt a tinge of sorrow as he saw there was thick, red liquid mixed in.

Even so, the young prince could not find it in himself to halt and turn back. He was determined to venture farther within the castle walls and find out as much as he could about what happened here. He walked forward and climbed up the stairs that led to within the castle.

The castle interior was in far more ruin than outside. Rubble was scattered across the floor and some parts of the roof caved in, making it hard to tread through on foot and even blocking some paths. The entire place was flooded in darkness, even with some of the holes on the roof. The air was consumed with an awful stench of blood and rotten corpses. Conjuring up another ball of light, Aichi continued moving forward, treading carefully so he wouldn't get himself hurt.

Like outside, the inside was also covered in dust but in worse condition. The rooms were almost unbreathable with how much dust and cobwebs there were covering everything. But that was not all. Parts of the floors were not only covered in rubble but also in some sort of grey powder; ash.

Getting a better look at the entire place, it did seem like a lot of things were burnt. Anything that looked like they escaped the flames weren't without black markings; no doubt scorch marks. The worst part was that there weren't signs of any survivors. Even if anyone did manage to survive, they would've fled by now. One question still remained though.

What was responsible for this?

Bright, vivid colours caught Aichi's attention as he turned towards a woven tapestry on the wall beside him. Or at least what was left of the tapestry, for it seemed the bottom half had been scorched in flames like everything else had within these castle ruins. It was not hard to decipher the work of art though, for what was left of the tapestry showed the heads of two red dragons breathing fire. Whoever lived in this castle must've had an infatuation with dragons.

Dragons… dragons… dragons!

Aichi subconsciously clenched his shirt, holding the item hiding underneath. This had to be it! It had to be! He couldn't think of any other with such an obsession over dragons. Yes, this place was definitely-!

A monstrous growl broke the young prince out of his thoughts. He rapidly turned towards the direction of the sound, only to be greeted by a pair of big, glowing golden eyes. The winged boy could feel his heart crazily pounding within his chest and cautiously took some steps back. But with each little step backward, the source of the horrifying sound would take a step forward. Eventually, it was within the glow of the ball of light and was now easily identifiable.

Standing before him was a red dragon.

Aichi stopped moving; his entire body petrified in fear, the air around him so intense it was difficult for him to breathe. But despite the dragon's intimidating appearance, surely it wouldn't dare to harm him. Dragons were well known to be very loyal creatures. If one truly dared to attack him, it would be a serious matter.

And sure enough, the dragon took a deep breath and prepared for the attack. Once it breathed as much air in, it let it all out while releasing a fury of flames. Aichi managed to jump out of the way and glide to another area he could reach. He needed to find something around here to help defend himself. He scanned around the ruin, looking for something. He then saw something shine in the distance. Maybe whatever was there could help him. He took another leap and glided over to the source of the shine. The dragon let out another breath of flames, scorching everything in its path yet missing the gold winged boy.

Managing to make it across safely, Aichi reached out for the source of the shine and pulled out a sword from under some rubble. He was very lucky. This would be enough to help him. The dragon turned towards the winged boy and let out another angry growl.

He still couldn't understand; why was this dragon attacking him? There had never been a single creature, let alone a dragon, that would actually dare attack a winged person; the very being that created them and their world. So what was this dragon's purpose for doing so?

Suddenly, a strange feeling took over. Aichi's cerulean eyes began to glow as he experienced something he had never seen before. He could clearly see the dragon before, but now there was this dark aura surrounding it. What was this aura? Did it have something to do with the dragon's unusual behaviour?

He snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed the dragon coming in for another attack. He blinked, causing his eyes to stop glowing and he could no longer see the dark aura surrounding the giant creature. He dodged the next attack and hid behind a wall.

Aichi looked at the sword in his hands. In a situation like this, one would consider going straight for the dragon and killing it, thus making the chances of their escape extremely high. But not Aichi. He refused to kill for selfish reasons. He wouldn't even dare to spill the blood of another with his own sword unless it was to protect anyone other than himself. He held the grip of the sword as tightly as possible. He was going to have to make a break for it and hope that he could outfly the dragon until he made it back to the forest.

He waited until the dragon tried to make another attack. And luck continued to be in Aichi's favour as the dragon went in for the next attack, determined that its flames would succeed in hitting the winged boy. The young prince dodged the attack once again by leaping up into the air and flew past the dragon. He then began to pick up speed; not wasting a single moment and provide opportunity for the dragon to catch up.

He flew as fast as he could until he finally made it back to the entrance. He slammed the doors shut and for extra measure, used his magic to help barricade the door. He knew it wouldn't be enough to stop it and the magic itself would fade over time, but hopefully it should buy him enough time to get as far away as possible. As soon as he was sure his magic was secured on the door, he continued to fly off away from the hill and back into the deserted fields.

But his expectations failed him, for rather than going through the door, the dragon broke through one of the stain glass windows and used that to break free from within the castle. Aichi wasn't even that far away from the hill yet, and with the dragon's size and how big its wings were compared to its body, it wouldn't have much trouble to catch up with the winged boy.

That was not even the worst part. Aichi could tell just by looking at it that the dragon was furious, and many winged people knew from books what happens when you anger a red dragon to its limits. One by one, the dragon's scales set themselves on fire. It grew and grew until the creature's entire body was consumed in crimson flames. And at this point, it would be impossible to use a weapon against it, for the flames surrounding its body would easily burn anything into ash. And while magic could cause some damage, light magic was very rarely used for attacks and even then it wouldn't be strong enough to defeat it.

Making haste, Aichi dashed towards the direction of the forest. He had to get there before the dragon gets him. But the dragon was not going to make it so easy. It managed to catch up to him in no time flat. The winged boy began taking other directions; swerving, twisting, zigzagging, looping, even simple turns, he did anything possible to try to get the giant creature off his tail. But the dragon was not going to give up. While Aichi was finding it hard to get the dragon to stop following him, there was no way it would be able to get closer enough to catch him. Not even breathing fire was enough to catch him.

This frustrated the dragon. It refused to take any more of this. Aichi looked behind him as he continued to fly away, eyes widened in terror as he saw what the creature was doing. The dark aura that surrounded it had appeared once again, only this time it was also visible to the naked eye. The aura grew and grew when suddenly, dark blasts fired forward past the winged boy. Aichi looked in front of him once again and observed where the blasts hit. They hit the ground they were coming towards. It wouldn't seem like a big deal since it missed Aichi and would normally be considered a terrible shot.

But the dragon fired those blasts there intentionally.

Where those blasts hit, long vine like plants rose from the ground. Aichi tried to dodge them but the plants animatedly reached out to restrain him. They grabbed both his arms and legs and pulled him towards the ground. He tried to break free but they were just too strong. No matter how much he struggled, gold wings flapping in desperation, he couldn't tear the natural binds that held him down. The plants tightened their grip, causing Aichi to wince at the pain; the sword he held in his grip to fall out of his hands and on the ground below him. He let out an agonizing cry almost loud enough to be an ear piercing scream.

The dragon appeared before him; its face expressing satisfaction of capturing its prey. No way to run, no way to fly, no way to escape; the dragon had got the winged boy where it wanted him. Aichi could only watch as the beast charged up for one last attack. He couldn't give up. He needed to free himself from this hellish nightmare.

And what happened next caught both the dragon and the prince off guard.

Two blasts of light flew over Aichi's head and hit the dragon directly at the eyes. The creature roared in pain as it was temporarily blinded. But where did those blasts of light come from? If that was light magic then that meant…!

Swooping down from overhead was a familiar face with gold wings like him. A womanly figure dressed in azure one piece armour, a long, white skirt with a big slit on the side, and matching azure boots and wrist guards. Lilac hair flowed against the heavy winds around them.

Aichi let out a relieved cry, his eyes stinging as he could feel tears welling up. "Misaki!"

The person in question didn't waste any time as she saw her prince being held down by the abnormal plants. She pulled out a knife and began to cut the vine holding down his right arm. She knew they didn't have much time left until the dragon would get its sight back so she had to do this much at least. Once his right arm was freed, Misaki gave Aichi the knife.

"You should be able to cut yourself free now. I'm going to distract the dragon while you escape," she instructed, "Head back through the forest! Some of the other knights will be waiting at the entrance back at Sunrise Valley. They'll escort you back to the palace."

But Aichi shook his head. "No! I can't leave you here! It's too powerful! You'll get killed!"

Misaki gave him a gentle smile. "I don't mind risking my life if that means you'll be safe, Your Highness. That is the job of a knight after all. Besides, I think you underestimate my abilities."

There was no time left. The dragon was already starting to recover. The lilac haired girl turned towards it and pulled her main weapon of choice out from behind; a lance almost as tall as her. She floated there; taunting the beast to follow her. The dragon let out a huff, smoke coming out of its nostrils. It could deal with the boy later. Right now, it was far more angered with the girl.

Misaki led the dragon away from Aichi and off towards the distance. She was determined to protect her prince, even if she had to risk her life while doing so.

That was her job as the captain of the Gold Winged Clan's knights.

Soaring as fast as she could, Misaki led the dragon farther and farther away from the forest and castle, trying to avoid the beast's attack while scanning the ground. She had a very special ability that earned her her title of captain; she could easily memorize her opponents' skills and weaknesses and create her strategy accordingly. And fortunately for her, she had read up on the weaknesses of red dragons. Then again, the weakness was so simple, anyone could memorize it.

Even the most powerful of flames that surrounded the dragon's body can be put out with water.

But the plan was risky. With a place as dead as this, it would be difficult for any bodies of water to exist without being dried out, especially one big enough to put out the dragon's entire body. She had to take that chance though.

Neither did Misaki nor the dragon know that Aichi was trailing behind them, making sure he wasn't spotted. After he managed to cut through the plants' grasp, he began to worry for the lilac haired girl. It was not that he didn't trust her, far from it. Out of all the knights of the Gold Winged Clan, Misaki was one of the strongest, smartest, and most determined knights he knew. But before being both a loyal knight and captain, she was Aichi's most precious friend. The very thought of her losing her life to protect him left a deep, sharp pain in his chest, as if a blade struck through his heart. He refused to let that happen. Grabbing the sword he dropped, he followed in the direction they went.

After flying a long way, Misaki had finally found what she was looking for. On the ground below them was a pond. Some of the water had already dried up, but there was still enough to put out the dragon's flames. Lowering herself so she is close enough to the pond, she began to throw more blasts of light into the water, hoping the dragon gets soaked. However, the dragon realized what the knight was doing and so made sure that only its wings would get soaked. As long as the rest of the body was dry, it could not be fatally harmed. She refused to give up. Once she flew past the edge of the pond, she tried flying over the dragon and attempted her plan again.

But the beast was not going to allow that. The dragon moved on upwards, blocking the girl's path, and used the force of its wings to knock her back. She crashed into a nearby skeleton tree.

Misaki knew she had to come up with another plan. Since she soaked the wings, she could probably stab one of them with her lance to stop it from flying. While red dragons are fast in the air, they are pretty slow on the ground. So if she prevents it from flying; that would make soaking it so much easier. But was it worth the risk of getting hit by the rest of the body still covered in flames? As the dragon planned another attack, she knew she had to take this chance. As soon as it attacked, she leaped up and with her lance ready, she charged down at the wings.

Her attack hit, causing the dragon to roar in pain once again. But the creature was not going to take this lightly. Though it couldn't fly with the lance piercing through, its wings could still move, and thus used this as an advantage for a counterattack. The wing knocked Misaki back, causing her to crash to the ground.

The dragon was satisfied with its counterattack. It had to finish her off quickly before she could get up and attack once again. Just as it was ready for another attack, a big, bright light from above caught its attention. Misaki, who was still recovering a bit from that attack, noticed the light as well and couldn't believe her eyes.

While the fight between Misaki and the dragon had been going on, Aichi had been charging up enough energy to create a big ball of light. Obviously this would not cause any damage on the dragon by aiming it directly at it. But that was not what the boy was going for.

Once he was sure he had put enough power into it, he pushed the ball of light towards the pond. Its impact with the pond caused all the water to splash out, and like it was supposed to, splashed some of it onto the dragon. The crimson flames that covered its body was now gone and returned to being just normal red scales. Not only that; but the force of the splash caused the dragon to flip onto its side.

Aichi readied his sword. He didn't consider this earlier because he refused to kill anything to save his own skin. But now, he wasn't just doing this for himself. He was doing this for Misaki. With no hesitation, he charged downward towards the dragon. The blade pierced through the dragon's heart; the beast letting out a cry of agony. The dark aura that had surrounded this creature appeared once again as it flew out of its host and up into the dark, grey sky.

A relieved sigh escaped through his lips as Aichi's entire body relaxed; his hands still holding onto the grip of the sword. The entire event left him exhausted. If he wanted to, he would just let his entire being collapse as he panted heavily. But something had caught his eye.

He could see that the dragon was still alive, though just barely. Aichi was surprised as he noticed that its entire behaviour had changed. Rather than being the cold, vicious monster it was before, it just laid there with a melancholic expression, feeling just as relaxed as the winged boy was.

"Thank you, little one," Aichi could hear the dragon speak in a deep yet cracked voice, "You have freed me… from being a mindless puppet to the Void."

Aichi had let go of the sword within the dragon's chest. He jumped off and knelt down, giving him better eye contact with the dying creature. "Was that what that dark aura was?" he asked, "Was that a part of the Void?"

The dragon chuckled weakly. "So you could see it. Yes, that dark aura… is a part of the Void's power. Now… that you have freed me from its grasp, my death… will allow me to atone… for the deaths of my masters."

"Why must _you_ atone for something the Void made you do?"

"Because… I made myself an easy target… for the Void to get to. I had made an opening… for the Void… to get close to my masters… and kill them… as well as… to get rid of…'the tool'…"

"What 'tool'? What are you talking about?"

The dragon didn't respond.

"Please, tell me what this tool is!" Aichi asked again, this time more desperate. But it was no use. The dragon had already passed on.

Aichi stood back up and closed the dragon's eyes. He placed his trembling hand on the side of the creature's head and began to pray, trying his best to make sure his voice did not waver.

"O sweet, gentle, and loyal creature! May you rest peacefully and suffer no more!"

Despair swelled within the winged boy's heart. Now his entire body was trembling. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to pull himself together but it was no use. Just how much more suffering must there be? How much more blood needed to be spilt? If the Void were an actual being, would it be showing an amused smirk by now? Were the creatures it controlled simply its playthings?

Aichi could feel his anger rising. Does such a being really find amusement in toying with people's lives? The lives of the people that lived that castle, the life of that dragon, they were all taken away. And the Void was to blame. When would this nightmare end?

His thoughts were broken by the sound of footsteps coming his way. Misaki had appeared before him; an expression of concern evident on her face. Aichi gave a small yet saddened smile, relieved that she was okay, but regardless…

The winged boy didn't need to say anything, for his friend already knew what he was thinking. While she had planned on giving him hell for worrying the entire kingdom with his disappearance, she could tell just by looking at him that he had been through a lot already. She walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. They exchanged words through eye contact as the cold wind brushed against them. With no reason to stay, Misaki motioned for Aichi to follow her before she flew back up into the sky. The prince took one last look at the dragon and then trailed behind her.

When they reached the castle ruins once again, there was a question deep within Aichi's mind that he needed answered. And it was a question he knew only Misaki could help him with. Building up the courage needed, he spoke up.

"Misaki?" he asked in a soft voice, "Do you know who lived in that castle?"

The lilac haired girl looked back at the castle before looking back ahead of her. "I have no clue."

So even Misaki with her amazing memory didn't know. But though he asked, Aichi already had a good idea who lived there. He had so many questions of things he needed to know. Were the people who lived there really the ones he believes lived there? Why did the Void go through the trouble of brainwashing a red dragon to eliminate them? And what was this 'tool' the dragon spoke of? There were many other unanswered questions that flowed through his mind; ones that he had been wondering about since _that day_. But no matter who he asked, nobody would answer him.

Or it was more like they _couldn't_ answer him.

Something was definitely wrong within the Cloudlands, and as he entered back into the forest with Misaki and returned to Sunrise Valley, Aichi made a silent vow to himself that he was going to figure out what it was; clenching the item he was hiding under his shirt.

**Pinkshuchan: Boy, this was a really long chapter. Sorry for it being so long but there was just so much going on. I was originally going to have this chapter also be when I introduce the other winged clans but since this chapter is long enough, I'm gonna save that for the next chapter. Read and Review!**


	4. The Other Clans

**Pinkshuchan: Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I have been really busy with stuff. Like I said last chapter, this chapter is going to introduce more members of the other winged clans. And before you ask, don't worry; it's not much longer until Kai and Aichi meet. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

The Other Clans

A lot happened as soon as Aichi returned to the palace. He was greeted with cries of relief by all the servants and the knights that stayed behind while the team led by Misaki searched the entire valley for their dear prince. Aichi, feeling a little tense and uncomfortable as they pushed their concern of him towards him, could only smile the best he could and assure them that he was perfectly fine as they surrounded him in the courtyard, but it wasn't enough to calm them down.

Shingo gave an alarming clap to get everyone's attention. "Yes, yes, His Highness is safe, but please do not forget that you all have your duties to return to. Back to work, everyone!"

Afraid to feel the wrath of the royal advisor, everyone with the exceptions of Aichi, Misaki, Naoki, and Shingo himself left the courtyard and went back to do their jobs. There was only silence in the air.

It didn't last long though.

"YOUR HIGHNESS!"

The next thing Aichi knew was that Shingo was now on his knees in tears, gripping the young prince's hand. And to think that he was one of the few who kept his cool after his reappearance before this point. He was no doubt trying to keep his image in front of the other servants. Now that only a select few were here, he could let everything out.

"I'm so glad that you're safe, Your Highness!" the advisor sniffled, "I was worried that since _someone_ fell asleep during guard duty," He briefly glared at Naoki, who in turn glared at him, before returning his attention back to the prince, "That you would've been in grave danger."

Aichi chuckled sheepishly at 'grave danger'. He looked over at Misaki, who had just been standing there with her arms crossed in silence. Before they met up with the other knights, the lilac haired knight promised the prince that she would keep the fact that they were almost killed by the red dragon a secret so as to not worry the kingdom any more than necessary, provided that the latter not mention anything of the forest or what lied beyond it. It was already bad that Aichi left the palace without an escort, but if anyone were to learn that he also left the boundaries he was to stay in and went exploring in some dangerous unknown territory, no doubt he would not be allowed to leave the palace again unless for special purposes. And Misaki knew how much it would sadden the prince if he were to be rid of the freedom to fly like a bird in a cage.

And so she would do anything to keep the prince's happiness, though she also had her duty as the captain of the knights of the Gold Winged Clan. Her loyalty to one or the other would depend on Aichi's own decision. But she knew by his personality that he would never back down on his own word. As far as they knew, this was their own little secret.

Naoki growled. "Geez, Glasses Boy, how long are you gonna keep that grudge? Nothing happened; the prince is safe, so why is it such a big deal? And okay, I damaged one of the flowerbeds, but where else can I nap?"

Shingo got up and turned towards the auburn haired knight. "How much of an imbecile are you?!" he exclaimed, "I can't help but wonder how you function! Yes, His Highness is safe, but he _could_ have gotten hurt! And may I add that the money used to pay for the damage of the flowerbeds comes out of how much food you'll get on your plate every night?!"

"Okay, okay! I get it!" Naoki tried to defend himself, "I'm sorry! I'm the one to blame for what happened!"

"No!"

Both the royal advisor and the knight turned their attention to the prince. "It's not your fault, Naoki. It's mine. I made the rash decision to go off on my own and I'm the one to blame for any dangers I may have gotten myself into out there. This would've probably still happened no matter what you would've done."

"Your Highness…"

"Also, if you're really concerned on where to nap, I'm surprised you don't use the grass. There's a lot of it and it's a lot softer than it looks. I sometimes like to nap on it myself."

Naoki scratched his head. "You know, I tried that but sometimes I worry that any time the grass isn't cut yet that it may tickle my nose and-!"

"Enough of this conversation about naps!" Shingo interrupted in a shrill tone, "A knight must always be well aware of their surroundings so they can protect the royal family so they shouldn't be asleep on the job! And Your Highness, please don't encourage this idiot's lazy habits!"

Aichi gave another sheepish grin. Obviously his attempt to try to lighten the situation and make everyone feel better after everything that has happened failed.

Misaki cleared her throat, alerting all three boys that she was still there. "I hate to interrupt but Your Highness; I'm sure your mother would like to see you in the audience chamber. She must be waiting for you this very moment."

The young prince nodded. He knew it would be bad to delay meeting her any longer, not because she was a terrible person that gets angered very easily because quite the contrary; she was probably one of the nicest people that Aichi knew. But he felt like it would be rude to keep her waiting another minute. With the captain behind him, he made his way into the palace and to the audience chamber.

The audience chamber was a sight to behold. A giant room with white walls and blue floors with a long golden carpet that reached from the door to the back of the room, which had eight steps of stairs leading up to three white and gold thrones in front of big, glass windows. Azure banners with a golden unicorn hung on the walls on both sides of thrones. Aichi walked forward towards the thrones where someone was already sitting.

Sitting there in the middle throne was a beautiful woman in a long sleeved emerald gown with white lace. A golden crown embodied with diamonds and sapphires rested on long, braided teal hair. Like all the others in the Gold Winged Clan, she had beautiful golden wings, giving her a more radiant appeal. There was a strong aura of kindness around her, but there was also a strong sense of authority. As soon as they reached the thrones, Aichi and Misaki both went down on one knee and bowed before the woman, for she was the ruler of the Gold Winged Clan and Aichi's mother, Queen Shizuka.

"Hello Mother," Aichi greeted her, "You… wanted to see me?"

Shizuka rose up from her throne. Her expression upon seeing her son was a combination of relief and concern. She gave him a small, gentle melancholic smile.

"Aichi," she spoke up; her voice soothing to listen to, "I'm so glad you are alright. You don't know how worried I was when I heard from Captain Misaki that you had gone missing."

"You didn't need to worry, Mother," the young prince assured her, "I always make sure I'm careful when I'm off flying around."

"Well, even so…"

"AIIICHIII!"

Before he was able to realize who it was calling him, a pink and gold flash swooped down in front of him; another pair of cerulean hues eye to eye to his own. Floating before him was a young girl dressed in a pink and white gown and a gold tiara resting on her shoulder length golden brown hair. Her gold wings were flapping to keep her at eye level with the young prince in front of her. Aichi knew very well who she was and knew the trouble he was in now that she was here.

"Aichi, do you know how worried everyone was about you?!" the girl began to scold him; not letting the boy leave her sight as she worded her thoughts, "You can't just leave the palace like that! What if something happened to you while you were out there?! You know that despite how peaceful everything looks, the Void could attack at any moment. That's something every clan in the Cloudlands knows! And to make matters worse, you left the palace on your own and unarmed. You don't know what could happen to you out there, so you need to always carry something to defend yourself-!"

"Emi! Calm down!" Aichi tried to get his words across, "Everything's fine. I'm sorry that I had worried you."

The young girl, Emi, continued to glare at him before letting out a sigh as she lowered herself back to the ground. "Honestly! You can't keep doing this. You're supposed to be the next king, right? You need to act more responsibly!"

"Alright, Emi," Shizuka spoke up, "I think you've made your point. You can stop now."

Emi looked over at the queen. "But Mother, we can't take this lightly! Aichi needs to be reminded to take care of himself better!"

The older woman nodded. "Yes, I know. And I thank you for saying what needs to be said. However, I would like to talk to your brother alone if that is alright with you."

The younger girl lowered her head. "I understand, Mother."

With all said and done, Shizuka looked over at Misaki, who had been standing there in silence while the entire scene had been happening, and requested that she escort Emi back to her room. The captain gave a bow before leading the princess out of the audience chamber, leaving only the queen and her son alone.

Aichi felt tense. As was mentioned before, his mother was not one who would get angry very easily. In fact, he didn't even remember the last time he had ever _seen_ his mother get angry. Even so, just being alone with her was rather nerve wracking. He had felt better when Misaki was there with him, but he figured that even if Emi hadn't shown up his mother would ask the female knight to leave them to talk in private. He could feel his body trembling as he tried to avoid eye contact with the older woman, his eyes focusing on the blue marble floor glimmering under the sunlight reflecting from the windows.

Shizuka looked over at her son and smiled. "Well, Emi pretty much got the scolding out of the way." She let out a soft chuckle.

The young prince stiffened as soon as he heard his mother's voice and simply gave a slight nod. The queen could see how uncomfortable he looked in front of her. She glided down from the risen platform and walked past the young male, gesturing him to follow her. She figured that a change of scenery could help relax him as they talk.

Aichi followed Shizuka out of the audience chamber and through the halls until they reached their destination; a beautiful wide open indoor garden with a high up glass ceiling to provide light for the flora and fauna that grew within these walls. On one side of the garden was a sparkling pond with a waterfall and a river flowing towards it and a variety of different coloured water lilies. A sweet, calming scent so thick you could almost taste it wafted through the air. They crossed the bridge over the river towards the middle of the garden where a small table and four chairs stood.

"You know, Aichi," Shizuka broke the silence, "You don't know how much it makes me happy to watch as you grow within your sixteen years of life. It seems like it was only yesterday when you were just a shy, little boy; a tiny bud that found it hard to open up, especially around other people. But now, you have blossomed into a confident young man who may shrink back into his shell every now and then, but is not afraid to speak his mind and do what he believes is right. I'm very proud of you.

"However, at the same time, I worry about you. While you have grown more confident, it seems you've also grown reckless. I don't know what it is that has made you become like this and I don't wish to change you, but I'm frightened of what could happen if you keep up like this; frightened that one day you'll disappear and never come back to us. And it does not ease me knowing that there was a time when something like that almost happened to you."

Shizuka walked over to some of the pink roses with purple tips and let out a sullen sigh. "We have already lost so many people to the Void. We've had knights and innocent bystanders of different wing colour fall before the Void's power. Even… our past rulers have fallen."

Aichi could feel a lump in his throat upon the words 'Even our past rulers have fallen'. While he knew of all of the rulers she was talking about, there was one in particular she was thinking about. He lowered his head, wishing to rid those sorrowful and despairing thoughts from his mind. The queen, however, was in worst shape than him. She was trembling from her own words, trying hard to push back the tears that were determined to make their way out.

She was barely able to regain her composure when she turned back to her son. "Please tell me just one thing, Aichi; what is it that drives you like this, the thing that you are willing to risk your life for?"

The young prince looked away and began to walk around himself as he began to think. "To be honest… I don't know. But my heart is telling me something; telling me that something is wrong, that a piece of the Cloudlands is missing, an important piece that may be the key for ridding us of the Void once and for all. And because of this, there are so many questions; questions that make me wonder if things are really what they are or if they're supposed to be something else. I can't just sit by idly in a comfy palace while these questions torment me for the rest of my life. These questions can't be answered as long as I'm cooped up within these walls. I have to spread my wings and fly. I have to learn this hidden truth… no matter what."

Shizuka could only just stare at her son in awe from his words. She could see the aura of leadership radiating around him. It was the same kind of aura _he_ had when _he_ was still alive. The teal haired woman walked over to the young boy so she was beside him and smiled at him.

"Well," she began once again; "I need to get ready for the half annual clan leader meeting."

"Isn't it tomorrow?" Aichi asked.

"Yes," the queen nodded, "But we must be ready tonight if we are to make it in time, since the meeting destination is far away from here." She began to walk around. "You are sixteen years old now and you are the next in line to inherit the throne should something happen to me; why don't you accompany me to the meeting?"

The young prince stared at his mother; surprise clearly evident by his expression. "You want me to come with you?"

"You can refuse if you wish."

"No! I want to!" Aichi figured that going to this meeting might answer some of the questions he needed the answers to. Besides, he had always wanted to meet the current leaders of the other clans. He had heard many great things about them. Learning all of their accomplishments made him feel self-conscious of himself; like questioning if he had what it took to reach those same expectations. But this never bothered Aichi too much, for even if he couldn't make the same kind of accomplishments, if he could at least do this one thing and find out that 'truth' he was looking for, then that would be enough.

With everything settled, Aichi went back to his room to get ready to leave. He had to change his attire into something more appropriate since the clothes he was already wearing were covered in dirt, dust, and ash after everything that happened that day. He changed into an azure sleeveless, high collared jacket with golden linings and azure rings that rested below his shoulders and were attached to the sides of the jacket, white leggings, azure high heeled boots that reached his knees, and azure wrist guards.

Once ready, he left his room and made his way to outside the palace walls where his mother was waiting. Misaki, Kamui, Naoki, Shingo, and Emi were there as well. They were waiting for the carriage that would take them to where the clan leader meeting was taking place.

Although the winged people could fly for quite a while before they tire out, their destination was farther away than their wings could take them. Winged horses, on the other hand, could reach the meeting's location with ease. It is because of that that they needed to wait for the carriage dragged by winged horses to help them get there without any trouble.

After a while of waiting, the carriage flew in and landed in front of them. Emi gave both her mother and brother hugs and wished them a safe return. Kamui, Naoki, and Shingo bowed, wishing for the same thing. Misaki opened the carriage door and gestured for the queen and her son to step in. Once they were in, she closed the carriage door and climbed up onto her seat in front of the carriage beside the driver. The driver used the reins to give the signal for the horses to move and the carriage began to fly away, heading for the meeting.

XxXxX

The carriage flew through the entire night over the vast Sea of Clouds, and by the time the sun reached its highest peak the next day; they finally made it to their destination. Aichi looked out of the carriage to see that they were flying over a snowy mountain and a kingdom resting at the very top. The kingdom was filled with tons of market stalls under bright, colourful tents and some buildings made of grey and white brick which were clearly homes for the civilians. Standing at the back was a tall, shining palace made entirely of crystal.

This was the kingdom of the Silver Winged Clan.

The carriage made its way to the crystal palace, landing right in from of the main entrance. Misaki got out of her seat and opened the carriage door, helping Aichi and Shizuka off. Once all three were out, the carriage flew off until the time when it would be needed again. They could only watch as the carriage disappeared from sight.

"Hello, Queen Shizuka. We've been expecting you."

They turned around upon hearing the voice behind them. A tall, beautiful woman came walking towards them, clad entirely in silver which matched the colour of her wings. Her long golden hair blew gently against the breeze with every step she took. The moment she reached them, she kneeled down and bowed.

"Thank you for taking your time to come here," she continued, "I apologize if it was inconvenient for you, given how long it must've taken you to come here."

Shizuka shook her head. "Not at all," she replied with a reassuring smile, "It matters not how far I must go if my presence would help in securing our hope against the Void."

The woman stood back up, relieved by the queen's kind words. Her gaze left Shizuka and landed on Misaki; the lilac haired girl replying with a nod. She then turned her attention to Aichi, causing the prince to stiffen. He didn't know what to say, especially to a girl as pretty as her, as he was worried if anything he said would an awful first impression. So what could he do?

The queen noticed her son's nervous behaviour and began to speak on his behalf. "This is my son, Aichi," she introduced him; "He will take over as the new ruler of the Gold Winged Clan for me when the time comes."

Aichi could only stand still as the blonde woman analysed him from head to toe with her lovely emerald hues. When she was done, she crossed her arms with a scowl on her face.

"You don't really look like a prince," she remarked, "Then again, neither did many of the past rulers of the Gold Winged Clan, so I can't really judge you based on your appearance alone. Still, I can't help but be sceptical, seeing how you look as timid as a spark mouse. Is someone like you really fit to be king?"

Misaki stepped in between Aichi and the woman and gave the latter a slight glare. "I ask that you not offend my prince, Kourin. Appearances aside, he is a remarkable swordsman and has strong leadership capabilities; skills that show he has what it takes to be the future king of the Gold Winged Clan."

The young prince smiled from his friend's kind words, though couldn't help but feel guilty for having her fight his own battle. The woman, who Misaki had called 'Kourin', gave a smirk as she looked back at the boy.

"How very interesting," she mused, "This piques my curiosity. I myself am known to be the best swordsman of all of the Silver Winged Clan. I would like to compare our skills with the sword after the meeting is over. That is, if you would do me the honours, Prince Aichi." She gave a bow.

"O-Of course!" Aichi's voice cracked as he spoke in a squeak, answered with a chuckle from the blonde woman. His face turned red, completely embarrassed. They were not even there for a full ten minutes and he was already making a fool of himself.

"I look forward to it," said Kourin, "That been said, I will escort you three to the meeting room." She gestured for the three gold winged guests to come inside the crystal palace.

Aichi could not believe his eyes as soon as they stepped inside. Like the outside, the walls on the inside as well as the floor and ceiling were made entirely of crystal. The translucent walls allowed the sunlight to shine through, creating beams of multicoloured light. Despite being made of crystal and on top of a snowy mountain, it was weird how the air felt so warm. The three women were unfazed by it, however, though at the same time it was understandable. Kourin no doubt lived within these palace walls and Shizuka and Misaki had come here several times for the meetings.

They climbed up the stairs and through a few hallways before they had finally reached a pair of big doors. Kourin opened the doors and all three of the gold winged guests walked inside.

They were in a large room with a big, round table in the middle with six chairs and a chandelier up above it. There was a smaller table resting on the farthest wall filled with all kinds of different refreshments. The walls were decorated with paintings of different sceneries and banners with the Silver Winged Clan's crest. The entire room had this cosy feeling to it and made them feel welcome.

"The others should be arriving shortly," Kourin explained, "Until then, feel free to relax as you wait. My master will be joining you in a little while. Now, if you would excuse me." She gave another bow before closing the doors behind her, leaving the three alone in the meeting room.

A few minutes had passed. They continued to wait for the others to show up; the only sound to exist within the room to be their tired sighs and the sound of their shoes against the crystal floors as they walked around, whether it was pacing or to grab something from the refreshment table. Finally, the doors opened up once again.

Another woman appeared who was also beautiful but more mature looking than Kourin and had short cyan coloured hair. Like the blonde woman, this woman was also dressed in silver to match her wings. She stepped to the side as she allowed a few more guests in.

A young man with aqua wings walked in followed by two lovely twin girls. He was dressed on a royal blue robe embodied with aquamarines and pearls. By looking at him, Aichi could sense him to be a man of honour and pride. He was no doubt the leader of the Aqua Winged Clan, but mostly just by looking at his wings and the air of superiority that surrounded him.

"Please make yourselves comfortable," the cyan haired woman remarked to the newcomers before closing the doors behind her.

Shizuka, upon seeing the aqua winged guests that walked in, got up from the chair she was sitting at and walked over to the young man with a greeting. "It is good to see you again, Master Leon."

The young man, who had a hardened expression the moment he stepped in, softened his visage as he bowed before the gold winged queen. "Yes, it is a pleasure to see you too, Queen Shizuka," he replied.

The teal haired woman nodded. She looked over at her son, who was standing at a distance beside Misaki, and gestured for him to come over. Aichi was not sure how he felt about it. He had already embarrassed himself enough when they talked with Kourin. He was worried on how he would act around one of the winged clan leaders themselves. However, he didn't want to disobey his mother as he didn't want to upset her. He cautiously walked over to where his mother and the leader of the Aqua Winged Clan were standing.

"I would like you to meet my son, Aichi," she began the introductions before looking over at said person, "Aichi, this is Master Leon; the leader of the Aqua Winged Clan."

Aichi hastily gave a bow, clearly indicating his nervousness. He hoped that he didn't give a horrible impression here too. But when he looked back up, he noticed something very peculiar. The leader of the Aqua Winged Clan, Leon, was just standing there; amethyst eyes hardening once again as he appeared to be analysing him, almost like what Kourin did before but this felt different. The way he was staring at him, it felt like he wasn't just observing his outward appearance, but something within him too.

"You have a very meek appearance," he spoke up after being silent the whole time, "At first glance; people would not see you as a reliable ruler for the future."

The golden winged prince lowered his head. That was the same thing Kourin said to him when they first met. He obviously didn't look very brave or strong. He didn't even feel very confident in himself. And judging by people's initial reactions of him, they weren't confident in him either.

"However," he continued, "The wind that surrounds your heart is a strong yet gentle breeze."

Aichi only looked at him in confusion. "Wind?"

Leon nodded. "We are the winged people and flying is mostly second nature to us. We soar through the skies with dignity and protect those we care about. However as we fly, the wind constantly blows; sometimes calmly and peacefully, other times forceful and frightening. It can move you forward or it could push you back, or it could just relax and let you roam free. The wind helps lift our wings and lead us to our righteous paths. But as there is a wind that blows through our entire beings, there is a wind that blows through our hearts. Never let that wind fade away, for that wind may lead you to things you would have never expected.

The gold winged prince kept quiet during the entire speech. The whole 'wind' metaphor was truly fascinating. He never had considered it like that. It was definitely inspiring. He told his thoughts to Leon, receiving a smile from the latter for the first time. The leader of the Aqua Winged Clan was truly a remarkable man.

Not long after the doors opened up again. This time, it was opened by what looked like a young girl with long reddish brown hair, dressed in the same attire and had the same wing colour as both Kourin and the cyan haired woman. Another group of three entered the room from behind her.

A tall, handsome man who appeared older than Leon but still looked very young walked in; dressed in very unusual clothing. It appeared like he was wearing some sort of white robe but Aichi knew full well it couldn't be a regular robe. Resting on top of the white robe like outfit was a red and gold sash that wrapped over his right shoulder and below his left arm, wrapped well enough that it avoided wrapping his green wings. A crown made of gold leaves rested on dirty blond hair.

One thing was for sure; he was the leader of the Green Winged Clan.

Following behind him were a man and woman. The man was tall and well built with long black hair tied up in a ponytail. The woman was very beautiful yet had an air around her that was both gentle yet intimidating. Both were dressed in what was a combination of armour and short robes.

The girl who let them in smiled as she looked at all the guests already in the room. "The meeting will be starting very shortly," she informed everyone, "Sorry for the wait everyone! My master tends to take his time with things. He shouldn't take much longer though." Without another word, she closed the doors behind her; the guests left to themselves once again with the newcomers.

The leader of the Green Winged Clan, upon seeing both Shizuka and Leon, walked towards them with a grin and a joyous attitude. Leon simply gave a nod as a greeting while Shizuka gave a proper hello. The leader of the Green Winged Clan took the Gold Winged Clan's queen's hand and gently pressed his lips against her soft, delicate hand.

"It has been a long time, my friends," he remarked, "I always look forward to when our companionship comes together again like this again."

"It will be for nothing if we don't have anything accomplished during this meeting," Leon replied, arms crossed.

The leader of the Green Winged Clan nodded. "Yes, it is important that we rid of the enemy that is threatening our home. But I am confident that with our strength together, we can prevail against the Void and bring justice back."

"Yes, we can only hope," Shizuka agreed.

Aichi kept his distance as he watched the three leaders converse between themselves. They were all so determined to protect their clan from the Void. Then again, they would probably have not come to this meeting if they really didn't believe they could stand up against an entity they have limited knowledge about. The young prince couldn't help but smile with how they all looked like they got along, to keep peace between them and make themselves stronger.

Like with Leon, Shizuka called Aichi over again. He stepped away after talking with Leon because he felt that anything more would be between them. He felt like he would only be in the way. But he knew the reason she wanted him back over there was because she wanted him to meet the leader of the Green Winged Clan. The gold winged prince had an easier time walking over there as the leader of the green winged ruler looked like he would be easier to talk to than Leon and the aqua winged ruler himself didn't seem as scary as he looked upon actually making conversation with him. Even so, Aichi couldn't help but still be a little nervous.

"This is my son, Aichi," Shizuka introduced said boy as soon as he made it over there, "Aichi, this is Emperor Kenji of the Green Winged Clan."

The Green Winged Clan's leader looked at Aichi with a smile. "So you are the infamous possible heir to the Gold Winged Clan," he spoke, "The queen has told us so much about you. She's even told us about your sister too."

Aichi blushed. Did his mother really talk about him a lot? What did she say? Hopefully not something embarrassing. What would he do if it was? The emperor gave another laugh. "Don't worry; all the stuff she's said about you has been praise." The gold winged prince didn't know whether he was happy that it was nothing bad, or disappointed in himself for his easily readable expressions.

The emperor held out his hand. "I hope for us to be good friends," he spoke honestly.

"Y-Yes," Aichi stuttered, reaching out for the emperor's hand to shake it, "That would be nice, Mr. Emperor sir."

Once again, the green winged male laughed. "No need to be so formal. Please, call me Koutei. That's what everyone calls me."

"What?! I couldn't possibly-!"

"I insist! It's better to be friends if you are more casual with each other, right?"

Aichi could see that the leader of the Green Winged Clan seemed to be very easy going. But he didn't seem to be a bad guy. And maybe just like the young prince, the emperor looked like he wouldn't be a good ruler based on his outer appearance, but definitely had the skills to be a truly fantastic ruler.

Just then, the doors opened up once more to reveal Kourin and the other two girls standing there. They stepped out of the way as one more person stepped inside, and this was one that truly caught Aichi by surprise.

Appearing before them was a young boy clad in silver from head to toe; not just his clothes and wings, but his hair and skin were also white like snow. His golden eyes scanned everyone in the room as he walked through. Was this the ruler of the Silver Winged Clan?

And then Aichi remembered something he learned during one of his lessons. All clans usually change their rulers when the ruler currently in power cannot rule anymore. But the Silver Winged Clan was known to have a ruler who had managed to last longer than most rulers using magic he learned, preventing him to age and giving him the eternal form of a little boy. His wisdom and power was far greater than any ruler before him; something that couldn't easily just be passed on like other skills. No doubt about it that this was that same boy.

This boy was Lord Takuto, ruler of the Silver Winged Clan.

He reached for his respective seat at the table and sat down, gesturing for the other rulers in the room to do the same. Since Aichi is only there to observe, he stood behind his mother alongside Misaki. The people that came along with their rulers also did the same, and Aichi noticed that Kourin and the other two girls stood behind Takuto. Once everyone was comfortable, Takuto spoke up.

"I thank you all for coming to this meeting," he began, "Many years ago, our ancestors created the Cloudlands to protect the creatures on Earth from the dark force that is the Void. Originally, all we as the winged people were to do were to live the rest of our lives in the Cloudlands and to make sure the Void does not escape.

"However, as you have noticed things have changed. As the years go by, we have realized that the Void is also growing stronger. If this continues, its strength will be too much to take, and not only will the place we have grown to call our home will disappear, but the Void will break free back onto Earth and destroy everything there."

"I can take that to mean you have noticed its growing presence as well, Lord Takuto," said Leon, "I have noticed this through the winds that blow through my kingdom. The creatures that live on the lands have also begun to act strangely, no doubt feeling the uneasiness as well. It is troubling my people."

"Things have been acting very strangely back at home too," said Koutei, "Some creatures have tried to attack some of the farmers on the outskirts of my kingdom; some of which are known to not attack winged people."

Aichi widened his eyes upon hearing Koutei's words. Creatures that usually wouldn't attack winged people have received a change in behaviour like that? So it wasn't just the red dragon back at the castle ruins. This was happening all over the place. What was the Void planning by doing this?

"Nothing unusual has been happening in my kingdom as of late," it was Shizuka's turn to speak up, "Even so, I can't help but worry for my people."

"We are all worried," Takuto assured her, "We are fighting against an enemy we have limited knowledge of."

"But isn't there a way we can stop it?" asked Koutei.

"I know of a solution."

Everyone turned their attention to the doors. Standing there was a man dressed entirely in black with black wings. Long crimson hair flowed down his back. Behind him stood two knights; a tall man with a beard and a green hair band resting on long raven hair and a girl with navy blue hair and cold, sharp blue eyes. The crimson haired man glanced through the entire room with his cat like eyes of the same colour and flashed a sly, mischievous grin.

"My, my," he mused, "Looks like you started the meeting without me? Are you feeling prejudice since my wings aren't as bright and shiny as yours? Well, sure my wings aren't bright but they are definitely shiny, don't you think?"

Many mixed expressions stared at the new guest; some of worry, others in rage, and in Aichi's case, full of confusion. A part of him did wonder why they started the meeting without the ruler of the Black Winged Clan and now that he had appeared, the air within the room felt very tense. Was there some sort of conflict going on between the other clans and the Black Winged Clan? As Aichi stared at him, he couldn't help but have this uneasy feeling; like something felt wrong.

"So you have arrived," Takuto spoke up, his voice sounding inviting yet his face appeared a bit distrusting; his eyes locked onto the black winged ruler as if making sure the latter didn't try anything regretful, "Have you finally decided to join us for a meeting, King Ren?"

The crimson haired male, Ren, began to pace around the room. "Nah, this type of thing isn't for me," he replied in a bored manner, complete with a laugh, "Breaking out of a daily routine every half year just to go to some far away kingdom to constantly go on and on about how the Void may one day destroy the Cloudlands and blah, blah, blah. It's very tiresome."

"Then what brings you here?" Shizuka asked calmly, a part of her worrying that she may regret asking that.

Ren smirked. "I wasn't lying out of my ass, you know. I know the solution to your problem. It's very easy too. And with this solution you won't have to worry about these stupid meetings. My answer; just give up!"

"Never!" Leon stood up from his seat, slamming his fists against the table as he glared at Ren, "I would rather die in the hands of the Void protecting my clan than to just simply give up!"

"Then I have another solution. The Cloudlands were built for the sole purpose of keeping it away from Earth. Why don't you just let the Void free onto Earth?"

"That is out of the question as well!" it was Koutei's turn to speak up as he stood up, "You said so yourself that our ancestors created the Cloudlands to protect Earth. To just let the Void free onto unsuspecting victims and put our ancestors' sacrifice in vain, it… it's just not right!"

"Please Ren," Shizuka stood up this time, "Why are you suggesting all these horrible things?"

The black winged male stared at her. "Why, you ask? I'm just trying to ease the weight on your shoulders, that's all. But honestly, is the Earth really worth protecting if that means our own people must die in the process? They don't even remember we exist. They take their own lives for granted while we all suffer. So why should we protect them?"

"We don't protect for the sake of recognition," said Takuto, "We protect because we know that this is the right thing to do, even if our actions are forgotten."

"And that means you are willing to die and fade away physically, but for your entire existence to fade away and be forgotten within the mind as well," Ren began to laugh. "You are utter fools, you know that? If that is your line of thinking, perhaps it would be best if you die and be forgotten! After all, you are nothing more than a pointless existence, right?"

The next part all happened in a flash. Kourin, who grew angrier with every little thing that the crimson haired male said, finally snapped and charged at him with her sword. Before she could attack however, the tall male that came in with Ren rushed in between the two, and tightly gripped the blonde woman in a way so she couldn't move, causing her to drop her sword. As hard as she struggled, she could not break free.

Ren walked over so they were face to face and looked at her with amusement; that sly grin of his only growing bigger as he watched her squirm. He had to resist letting out a chuckle.

He turned his attention to Takuto. "I would advise that you keep your servant under control. If Tetsu had not stepped in to restrain her before she attacked me, she would've called an act of war between our two kingdoms. And we really don't want that, do we?"

Takuto's hues narrowed, his anger slowly rising. "Let her go, Ren," he growled through clenched teeth, his words sounding venomous.

Ren only appeared more amused. "My pleasure," he replied with a playful bow, "But first, I want her to answer a little question for me." He looked back at her. "Tell me; can you name all the winged clans?"

Kourin had not dropped her glare the entire time. "Why the hell would you ask something so stupid?"

"I just want to know, that's all."

The blonde woman didn't know what the sneaky bastard was planning. She looked over at Takuto. Her master gave a nod, telling her to answer. Sighing in defeat, she answered regrettably.

"The winged clans are the Aqua Wings of Honour, the Green Wings of Justice, the Gold Wings of Benevolence, the Silver Wings of Wisdom, and the Black Wings of Mercy."

"And?"

Kourin stared at the crimson haired male. "And what?"

"Is that all?" he questioned.

"What the hell are you talking about?! Of course! Those are all five winged clans! Now let me go!"

There was only silence. After a bit of time had passed, Ren's entire body began to slump as he let out a disappointed sigh. He told the tall man holding Kourin, whom he had called 'Tetsu', to let her go. Tetsu complied and loosened his grip on the blonde woman. Kourin glared at the crimson haired male one more time before walking back to where she was before. The other two girls began to surround her out of concern, making sure she was alright, with her having to assure them that she was fine.

"Honestly, I am disappointed in all of you," Ren spoke up once again, "I guess you are completely fine with forgetting." He began walking back to the door. He looked back at them one last time. "But before I forget, I want to give you something to think about when you continue on with your absurd meeting, when you go back home to your respective kingdoms, when you fall to sleep in your cosy beds. We are the winged clans that rule over the Cloudlands. There are five of us… yet why are there six chairs?" He let out another laugh.

But then, his crimson cat like eyes fell onto hues of bright, sparkling cerulean the moment his focus landed on Aichi. The blue haired male tensed up, the feeling he had while watching Ren growing stronger. He now recognized this feeling. This feeling was the same one he had when he came into contact with the red dragon. No, this feeling was much stronger.

He felt himself slowly starting to suffocate, his breathing moving rapidly. He was hyperventilating. His body grew heavy as he felt the aura surrounding the black winged ruler flow through him. He began to feel dizzy and was having a hard time staying on his feet. He felt like he could tip over any minute. He pressed his hand against his temple, hoping he could get this feeling of dizziness to go away but it did nothing.

"YOUR HIGHNESS!"

Aichi felt his entire body drop only to be caught by someone. His vision was starting to go all fuzzy but he could tell that the one who caught him was Misaki. His gaze landed back to where Ren was as the latter walked out of the room with his knights following him. The moment the doors closed and the three disappeared behind them, Aichi's consciousness slowly faded until he saw nothing but darkness.

**Pinkshuchan: And that's the end of this chapter. Sorry not much more has happened but I'll save that for the next chapter. I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible, but if I don't get the chapter out before Christmas, then Merry Christmas. If you don't celebrate Christmas, then Happy Holidays. Please Read and Review!**


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